Classics

Redburn, Chapter 27 Melville’s largely autobiographical novel of his youthful voyage from New York to Liverpool. In this extract he arrives on the Mersey, his imagination fired to expect a city of magical wonder. Reality hit him hard! The middle third of the book is a fascinating insight into Liverpool 1840s.

The Sea, The Seaby Iris Murdoch. This extract is about falling from a cliff, another take on descent into a maelstrom

Dover Beachby Matthew Arnold. While clearly a religious poem, it can also be read as an expression of a crisis in liberal values in the nineteenth century. Its content may not be to your taste but it has its music.

To the Seaby Philip Larkin. A stark contrast to Arnold from grumpy, atheistic Larkin.